Is Being Muslim Necessary?

If
I do good work and exhort others to endurance, am I a good Muslim
or just a good person? Do I have to be a Muslim to be a good person?

From
One who keeps losing and finding the path.

A. Of course,
you can be a good person regardless of your religion. Yet, to be a
Muslim is to save yourself; to establish correct beliefs (`aqida).
Allah created us to worship Him in this life, and to be a Muslim is
to be a believer. Therefore, it is most important to first be a Muslim
and then to be a good person. Someone might be a Muslim and yet not
a good person - not every Muslim is good. Someone might be Muslim,
fulfilling all of Islamís obligations, yet lacking good manners. Such
a person in is need to polish the heart by means of tazkiyya
- purification.